Last Call For Census 2020
BROOKLYN – It’s official. The deadline for completing the 2020 census online is tomorrow, Friday, October 16, at 6 a.m. For those who have yet to submit the census, you have just a few more hours to do so.
“As of today, well over 99.9% of housing units have been accounted for in the 2020 Census. Self-response and field data collection operations for the 2020 Census will conclude on October 15, 2020,” the US Census Bureau stated. Specifically, the internet self-response will be available until October 16 at 6 a.m., paper responses must be postmarked by October 15, and Nonresponse Followup census takers will continue resolving nonresponding addresses through the end of the day on October 15. The original deadline was October 31.
“What we’ve had this year is a persistent effort to undermine the count emanating from the Trump administration,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said this morning at his press conference.
“New Yorkers, despite a pandemic, have responded really, really strongly. And our census team has done an amazing job reaching out to people no matter what’s been thrown at them. But it all comes down to this. Our last chance to be counted, our last chance for fairness and justice, our last chance for fair representation of Washington, our last chance for our fair share of billions and billions of dollars, it all comes down to today. And every one of you, if anyone out there has not yet filled out the census, you can do it for your entire family. One person could do it for our whole household. It is crucial and we need you now.”
As of yesterday, the self-response rate in NYC is 61.5%. In Brooklyn, the self-response rate is 58.6%. Brooklyn is currently last among the boroughs in the city, and NYC Census 2020 is aiming to get it past the 60% mark by the end of the day. There are over 500 volunteers out and about today making calls and canvassing, urging people to complete the census.
“It was an incredibly long ride for us to get here,” NYC Census 2020 Deputy Director Amit Bagga told Bklyner. “This deadline has moved on for us many times because of the Trump Administration.”
According to Bagga, completing the census is a “solemn and very important responsibility for every New Yorker.”
“For every household that does not get counted, we lose $7,000 in federal funding for schools, hospitals, roads, bridges, mass transit, job training… and if you add that up, that ends up being a lot of money,” Bagga said. “All of us are very focused on the election and we have a good reason to be, but the election will only impact the country for four years. The census will impact the entire nation and NYC for the next ten.”